When it is all over I hope you

I hope you take it all in. Every last second. I hope each practice was enough for you. I hope every smile on all of your coaches faces were enough. Because one day you will be too old to do it again. I hope you learned every lesson and you grew stronger from each mistake. I hope All-Star Cheerleading showed you how to be strong when nothing seemed right. I hope every time you busted your standing tuck you got up a little tougher and that pushed you to be better in the long run. I hope you learn that you are only competing against yourself and your teammates are like your family. I hope you listened to every life talk your coach gave you and also applied it to your life outside of cheerleading. I hope you thanked your parents for allowing you to compete in a sport so expensive and so prestigious.

I hope you took it all seriously. I hope you really learned from every practice and no matter if you cried or smiled after each routine you got better. I hope you remember the wonderful girl who had your name on a bow supporting you at worlds. I hope that one time you snapped your ankle you got better and you did your tumbling again. I hope you worked so hard to make the team of your dreams. I hope you proved everyone wrong. I hope you savored the moment you won your first Jamfest or the time you won The Cheerleading Worlds. I hope you get off the floor in the Milkhouse or the baseball field, the hardfloor of McEachern High School, B4 in the Georgia World Congress Center, the Arena at NCA, or the raised stage at the International Convention Center and you are smiling ear to ear. I hope you remember every word your teammate says. I hope you took the conditioning seriously and you hit your routine more times than not.

I hope that tiny cheerleader runs up to you and hugs you every time they see you. I hope you took a million pictures. I hope you remember what it’s like to be on the best team in the world. I hope you understand truly what it’s like to be a part of a legacy. Something so much bigger than yourself. I hope you did it for everyone before you. I hope you took pride in your program, but I hope you were also humble. I hope you listened to your coach when he said “when you lose say nothing and when you win say less.” I hope you stay close to your teammates even when you’re long gone. I hope you stay close to the girl who started cheering with you 10 years ago. I hope you know you can call your coach and he will answer at 3 in the morning. I hope you also know that one teammate older or younger has gone through exactly what you’re going through and they will talk to you through it all.

I hope you learned to be the bigger person. I hope you made everyone feel like a someone. I hope you were smart on social media. I hope you stood up for what you believed in. I hope you clapped for the team who won the competition you wanted to, in return you were respectful to the team you beat. I hope you learned that cheerleading is all about your team and being in a high level division on a high profile team everyone is around the same level. With that being said it is always up to you and your team to do your own job and stay focused. Because it truly is anyone’s game. I hope you enjoyed the butterflies backstage before you performed in front of thousands.

I hope you grew as a person and also a hair and makeup artist. I hope you learned how to apply false eyelashes (preferably lavender lashes) and I hope you learned how to curl and tease your hair even though you competed with a braid or a small poof and a straight pony. I hope you lost all the glitter while sweating. I hope you got the best red lipstick and strongest hairspray. I hope you remember the coach who helped you tie your nfinitys when you were too young to do it yourself and I hope you helped the next tiny who was crying in the bathroom because they couldn’t find their mom.

I hope you did it all right. I hope you took it all in. I hope you still have the chance. I hope you cherish every last moment. I hope in the end you smile and you know that you did it. I hope you make every last moment count and enjoy each time you take the floor because you never know when your last time truly is. I hope you learned more from All-Star Cheerleading than the most simple rules. I hope you also learned cheerleading is more than a sport.

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